Droid Life » Sensehttp://www.droid-life.com
An intense Android news community bringing you the latest in phones, rooting, apps, and reviews.Sat, 01 Aug 2015 18:19:40 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.3HTC Begins to Break Down Firmware, Releases Sense Keyboard to Google Playhttp://www.droid-life.com/2014/07/22/htc-begins-to-break-down-firmware-releases-sense-keyboard-to-google-play/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/07/22/htc-begins-to-break-down-firmware-releases-sense-keyboard-to-google-play/#commentsTue, 22 Jul 2014 18:00:26 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=146028HTC Begins to Break Down Firmware, Releases Sense Keyboard to Google Play is a post from: Droid Life
]]>Like Google and Motorola before it, HTC has uncoupled a system app from firmware. HTC Sense Input, the default keyboard on HTC devices, made its unceremonious debut on Google Play this morning.

Predictably, Sense Input is only compatible with the HTC One (M7), HTC One (M8), and the latest phones in the Desire series. Sense seems to be a requirement, too – the keyboard won’t install on Google Play Editions of either One.

For those hoping that its uploading to Google Play would bring a huge list of improvements, you may be left feeling a bit disappointed. According to this changelog posted on Google Play, this update brings support for Google Extract View in landscape mode, as well as the ability to enable “handwriting manual submit mode.” Whatever that is.

What’s New

Support Google extract view in landscape mode.

Add the prompt when adding none word into personal dictionary.

Show .ru/.ro/.nl on Russian/Romanian/Dutch URL keyboard.

Enable Handwriting manual submit mode.

Fix Zhuyin “ㄦ” cannot be typed issue.

If you own a newer HTC smartphone, your keyboard should update automatically sometime today. Readers, notice any significant changes?

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/07/22/htc-begins-to-break-down-firmware-releases-sense-keyboard-to-google-play/feed/29HTC USA President Says Sense 6 Coming to HTC One (M7) By “End of May”http://www.droid-life.com/2014/04/14/htc-usa-president-says-sense-6-coming-to-htc-one-m7-by-end-of-may/
http://www.droid-life.com/2014/04/14/htc-usa-president-says-sense-6-coming-to-htc-one-m7-by-end-of-may/#commentsMon, 14 Apr 2014 21:48:43 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=137423HTC USA President Says Sense 6 Coming to HTC One (M7) By “End of May” is a post from: Droid Life
]]>This year’s flagship HTC device, the One (M8), may have just been released, but HTC doesn’t want you to think that it has forgotten about its older devices. At the M8 announcement, HTC announced that it would be updating older devices “sometime this spring,” but we now have a better indication of when exactly that will be.

The President of HTC USA, Jason Mackenzie, took to his Twitter account today to shine a light on when we would be seeing the “sixth sense” appear on last year’s HTC One (M7). The end of May is the new date we have to expect this upgrade to roll through as a part of the HTC Advantage.

Mackenzie has been known to fire shots towards Samsung in defense of his company over gimmicks and design. Maybe he should instead be happy about how much quicker his company is at updating phones than worrying about.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2014/04/14/htc-usa-president-says-sense-6-coming-to-htc-one-m7-by-end-of-may/feed/34HTC Sense 5.5 Screenshots Show Option to Turn Off Blinkfeed, New Camera Features, Other Tweakshttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/10/08/htc-sense-5-5-screenshots-show-option-to-turn-off-blinkfeed-new-camera-features-other-tweaks/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/10/08/htc-sense-5-5-screenshots-show-option-to-turn-off-blinkfeed-new-camera-features-other-tweaks/#commentsTue, 08 Oct 2013 16:20:45 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=121603HTC Sense 5.5 Screenshots Show Option to Turn Off Blinkfeed, New Camera Features, Other Tweaks is a post from: Droid Life
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Thanks to a series of screenshots post by blog Android Revolution HD, we may have first look at HTC’s soon-to-be-released Sense 5.5 Android skin. The screenshots show a familiar design language to the Sense 5 that was first introduced with the HTC One, but includes new options to help expand its polish. Most would argue that HTC has one of the better Android skins on the planet, and these subtle changes should only help solidify that claim.

In the top series of screenshots, you’ll notice one very specific new toggle that was previously left out of the original Sense 5, though most of us believe it should have been there from day one. That would be the option to turn on or off Blinkfeed, HTC’s homescreen news and social network aggregator. We actually became Blinkfeed fans over time, but for those who want nothing to do with the vertical scrolling Flipboard competitor, a toggle is a simple yet perfect addition.

In the series of shots below, you’ll notice that the camera will soon have a “Dual capture” and “Panorama” modes. Dual capture could just be something similar to what Samsung has done, by allowing you to snap photos with both the front and rear cameras at the same time. Panorama on the other hand, is pretty self explanatory. Well, unless you compare it to “Sweep panorama” – anyone guess the difference? You’ll also see a slightly tweaked multi-task panel in the shots below that features bigger cards.

In the last series of screenshots below, you’ll see new additions to Blinkfeed, an improved keyboard experience with Emoji, and the ability to rearrange the quick toggles pull down menu. And that’s pretty much it.

It’s tough to tell when we’ll see this new Sense 5.5 arrive, but a launch of the One Max next week seems like the perfect opportunity for HTC. As for when we’ll then see it arrive on the HTC One, your guess is as good as ours. With the device just now receiving Android 4.3, I’d bet that we’re months away from a major update to 5.5.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/10/08/htc-sense-5-5-screenshots-show-option-to-turn-off-blinkfeed-new-camera-features-other-tweaks/feed/35HTC: One S to Remain on Current Version of Android and Sense, No Android 4.2http://www.droid-life.com/2013/07/02/htc-one-s-to-remain-on-current-version-of-android-and-sense-no-android-4-2/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/07/02/htc-one-s-to-remain-on-current-version-of-android-and-sense-no-android-4-2/#commentsTue, 02 Jul 2013 16:32:33 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=112946HTC: One S to Remain on Current Version of Android and Sense, No Android 4.2 is a post from: Droid Life
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Owners of the One S from HTC got some sad news recently, as the company announced via support forum that their devices won’t be receiving any bumps in builds of Android or Sense. The device currently sits at Android 4.1 with Sense 4+ built on top and there it will remain for the rest of its life.

HTC gave the following statement to The Unwired:

We can confirm that the HTC One S will not receive further Android OS updates and will remain on the current version of Android and HTC Sense. We realize this news will be met with disappointment by some, but our customers should feel confident that we have designed the HTC One S to be optimized with our amazing camera and audio experiences.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/07/02/htc-one-s-to-remain-on-current-version-of-android-and-sense-no-android-4-2/feed/75HTC One X to Receive BlinkFeed and Zoes in Upcoming Sense 5.0 Updatehttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/05/16/htc-one-x-to-receive-blinkfeed-and-zoes-in-upcoming-sense-5-0-update/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/05/16/htc-one-x-to-receive-blinkfeed-and-zoes-in-upcoming-sense-5-0-update/#commentsThu, 16 May 2013 16:40:24 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=108546HTC One X to Receive BlinkFeed and Zoes in Upcoming Sense 5.0 Update is a post from: Droid Life
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Love it or hate it, HTC is fully behind their Android skin, Sense. With each upgrade it is promised to be slimmer and easier to use, but still people complain about it getting in the way of their phone. Sense 5 debuted with their newest flagship the HTC One this year, but according to an HTC ROM developer, Sense 5 is upcoming for last year’s device, the One X.

If this is true, HTC also plans to bring two of the highest profile features from this year’s device back to the One X as well. The curated social news-stream BlinkFeed and the awesome camera feature Zoes are planned to be included in this update as well. With an update of this size however, it could be a while before we see it on the international version of the One X and even longer before any US versions of the device see it. If we hear anything, we will be sure to keep you posted.

With HTC’s new Sense 5, they introduced a ton of new wallpapers and someone finally ripped them from the device. With a few classy black and whites, some colorful tones, and even some Jelly Bean-looking patterns, these are our favorite Sense papers we have seen in a while.

After seeing the picture of Sense 5.0 up and running on a DROID DNA, XDA member mdeejay brought up the fact that the phone is actually running a ported build from a Sprint M7 which has the new Sense on it. He claims to have it working nicely, but can’t release it at this time. Thankfully, he was able to at least share some screenshots from it, so that we can see some of the changes in store in this latest version of HTC’s Sense.

First, you can see the new lock screen which appears to have finally ditched that obnoxious ring-unlock mechanism. We’re also getting a much less cluttered and minimal clock and icon set, but we have seen those before. On one of his home screens, he has a number of apps laid out, along with the arrangement for folder icons. We are definitely seeing new icons across the board for mail, calendar, people, gallery, etc. There is a view of the in-call menu, which also appears to be simplified.

Down below, you have a somewhat back-end look for settings. It looks re-themed, but that’s about all there is to say.

If you want to keep up with a potential ROM release of this new Sense from mdeejay, I suggest you stay close to the XDA thread below.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2013/01/22/new-set-of-htc-sense-5-screenshots-emerge/feed/75HTC Sense 5.0 Pops Up on the DROID DNAhttp://www.droid-life.com/2013/01/21/htc-sense-5-0-pops-up-on-the-droid-dna/
http://www.droid-life.com/2013/01/21/htc-sense-5-0-pops-up-on-the-droid-dna/#commentsMon, 21 Jan 2013 18:52:59 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=96055HTC Sense 5.0 Pops Up on the DROID DNA is a post from: Droid Life
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Over the weekend, we caught our first glimpse of HTC’s new custom skin for Android, Sense 5.0. The two appearances lead us to believe that HTC is going with a more minimal approach to Sense, but also one with an interesting take on home screen sections that look similar to what Microsoft has done with Windows Phone. It has pretty moments, like with the icons, but the rest seems like a step in the wrong direction – but that’s coming from a minimalist like myself.

That’s not what we’re here to talk about, though. The above image is, since it shows a Verizon-branded DROID DNA running this latest version of Sense. Not that we ever thought for a second that HTC’s current flagship device wouldn’t see an update to a new version of Sense or anything, but this seems to have come earlier than expected.

We have no idea when the DNA could see an update to Sense 5.0 (assuming that’s what it’s called), because we first need HTC to announce it (and they have yet to do that). Don’t forget that they’ll likely launch a phone along with the new version of Sense – the HTC M7.

The image above was posted at a leaked ROMs site, so keep an eye on your favorite forum over the next few days. You might find yourself a gift.

Since CES was a complete bust in terms of seeing HTC’s next superphone, the M7, it feels natural that we would see some leaked goodies shortly after. Although, I have to admit, this is some of the worst leaked shots I’ve ever seen, of anything. So, let us take a second and go over what we have.

Thanks to Pocket Now and HTC Source, we have our first glimpse of the actual device, albeit really doesn’t give us much of anything beside the fact it will have a front facing camera, and a few shots of Sense 5. Pictured above is the first leaked shot of the device, with everything blurred out except the camera and HTC logo. Seems legit, yeah?

Below is where it actually gets a bit exciting. There a few shots that are being labeled as Sense 5, which was said to be a huge improvement in terms of looks and feel over previous versions. From what we do see, it certainly gives off a little more of a minimalist look, with clean textures and less of a glossy feel.

So, I have one initial problem with this picture. HTC still can’t seem to move away from the legacy menu, which is a real eye sore, given we are waiting for them to ditch hardware buttons, and for developers to start getting rid of it as well. Either way, I’ll be happy when those days are behind us and there is a fluid UI experience between my multiple Android devices.

In terms of looks, the new Sense is looking pretty hot. I enjoy the matte feel, so I’m easily more excited today than I was yesterday for the M7 and Sense 5.

In a recent interview with Laptop Mag, HTC’s AVP of user experience Drew Bamford, was asked to spill his guts on the development of the new Sense 4.0 and how they were able to “tone it down.” As most folks here may know, we have had the general belief that the Sense UI, when placed atop vanilla Android, was bloating and made our devices lag all across the board while not adding anything that was incredibly needed by some. HTC have been listening and took many steps to minimize Sense down and make it more usable and an intuitive experience.

When asked what inspired the newest version of Sense and its cleaner look, Drew had this to say:

We took inspiration from matte finishes that have become very popular in high-end automobiles, such as Mercedes and BMW. We also took a warmer approach to the color palette to make it feel more inviting and friendly.

Later in the discussion, he was asked how long his team had to work with ICS before having to create the final Sense 4.0 for the masses. Not surprisingly, they had very little time:

There was not a lot of time between when we saw Ice Cream Sandwich and when we released our Sense 4. In fact, we were designing things like our recent apps UI well in advance of when Ice Cream Sandwich came out. So really this represents our spacing on the best way to do it; it’s not an intentional rebuttal of the Ice Cream Sandwich design. It’s just a different approach that we eventually came up with.

If you have been reading our recent reviews of the new HTC One X and the One S, then you would have noticed our opinions of the Sense UI have changed greatly since our first encounters with it back in the DROID Incredible days. It’s cleaner, easier on the eyes, and actually works the way you would hope an overlay would. It adds good features while not taking too much away from the stock feel of Android.

To read the full interview, which I would recommend, follow the via link below. Have you been able to play with the new Sense UI? What are your thoughts?

HTC Rezound owners, more custom ROMs are on the horizon for you. This newest Sense 4.0 ROM is almost completely in working order after two months of stressful work by developer, newtoroot. It has a very short list of bugs, most notably being the lack of working Bluetooth. With full working 4G data, GPS and sound, this is the most complete 4.0 ROM we have seen so far.

For downloads and instructions on flashing this ROM, follow the via link below and read up on everything you will need. If you own an already rooted and unlocked ROM, your task is quite simple. For the rest of folks, let’s hope you know some adb commands.

]]>http://www.droid-life.com/2012/04/03/new-custom-sense-4-0-rom-released-for-the-htc-rezound-only-bluetooth-missing/feed/104If You had to Choose a Skin for Android, Which would It be?http://www.droid-life.com/2012/03/23/if-you-had-to-choose-a-skin-for-android-which-would-it-be/
http://www.droid-life.com/2012/03/23/if-you-had-to-choose-a-skin-for-android-which-would-it-be/#commentsFri, 23 Mar 2012 16:44:04 +0000http://www.droid-life.com/?p=65062If You had to Choose a Skin for Android, Which would It be? is a post from: Droid Life
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This video from the folks at The Verge that is floating around today, is simply put, hilarious. During the clip from their podcast, they interview a guy who goes by the name “Big Poppa Joe” and claims to be the biggest Samsung TouchWiz fan on Earth. Yeah, you may need to read that again. Someone who admits publicly to loving TouchWiz. He may just be a brilliant troll, but if you needed a good laugh as we head into the weekend, this one is worth a watch.

With that said, we would love to hear your thoughts on the rest of the OEM skins out there. I’m curious to know which you would choose if there was no other choice but to have a skin. Stock Android is gone for good, which skin would you choose and why? HTC’s Sense, Motorola’s Blur, Samsung’s TouchWiz or something else?

As of today, I would go with Blur. While it was complete garbage for a a year or two there, the latest version is not all that bad (assuming you like the color blue). With its built in MotoCast software, semi-customizable launcher, gradually improving camera software, and new lockscreen, it’s not half bad. My opinion may quickly change on this once I get my hands on the HTC One X and see Sense 4.0, but until then, as surprising as it may sound, I would go Blur.

HTC’s chief product officer Kouji Kodera sat down with Pocket-Lint this week to admit that their Sense UI had gotten far too complicated and cluttered in the last couple of releases. From the time Sense originated, HTC had always wanted to keep things simple and easy to understand, but as their skin grew with features, so did the bloat. Going forward with Sense 4.0 and their new One Series, they will attempt to slim things back down:

“There where too many things in there,” Kodera continues. “Even on the home screen we had four or five icons before consumers got a chance to add things themselves. For the HTC One range we have taken it down to Sense 2 again.”

And in case you were wondering, they are attempting to keep Ice Cream Sandwich as untouched as possible. While I find that sort of an overstatement after seeing a couple of Sense 4.0 videos and screenshots, we should at least expect to see less in your face 3D transitions, spinning wheels, and other performance decreasing UI tweaks:

“What we’ve done right now is a good mixture of keeping Sense and Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich element in a good balance. We haven’t tried to change everything here. We have kept a lot of the ICS element but still added the Sense flavour on top of it.”

As someone that was once a fan of Sense, but found it less appealing in the 3.0+ phases, I’m actually pleased to hear this news. HTC needs to go back to their clean and easy-to-understand UI. Looking forward to the One Series or whatever it is they plan to release on Verizon to try to compete with it.

A month before Mobile World Congress kicks off and we have the first mega-leak to drool over. The HTC Ville was caught in a lengthy video this morning, showing off its official spec list, Sense 4.0 over Ice Cream Sandwich, and an ultra thin body. This is a device that we have covered for a while now over at Android Life as it is rumored to be heading to T-Mobile, but with this being one of the first polished sightings of Sense 4.0, we wanted to make sure that everyone saw it.

So what is the Ville? It’s HTC’s thinnest smartphone ever at roughly 8mm thick, but will rival some of the other players for the “thinnest smartphone in the world” tag. As you can see from the front, HTC is moving to a 3-button approach to match up with Android 4.0, however, they are still using hardware soft keys instead of on-screen soft keys. The design itself looks like most of HTC’s previous work, but again, this sucker is ultra thin.

Hit up the break to see the full spec list and a quick run-through of the device.

Up until now, we have seen XDA provide us with ROMs that have Beats by Dre cooked into them for your music listening pleasure, but the problem still stood, what if you liked your current ROM? Well we now have a fix for that.

There is a flashable zip a the source link below that will allow Beats to work with any Sense 3.0 and up-based ROM. The installation is as easy as booting into recovery and flashing the file and rebooting. User smokin1337, who came up with this file warns you that the first boot might take a while and as always, make a backup before you flash something like this.